Gaming device manufacturers strive to make gaming devices that provide as much enjoyment and excitement as possible. Providing a secondary or bonus game in which a player has an opportunity to win potentially large awards or credits in addition to the awards associated with the primary or base game of the gaming device is one way to enhance player enjoyment and excitement.
Gaming devices having bonus games generally employ a triggering event that occurs during the base game. The triggering event temporarily stalls or halts the base game play and enables a player to enter a second, different game, which is the bonus game. The player plays the bonus game, likely receives an award and returns to the base game.
One known bonus game enables players to accept or decline multiple award offers. The TOP DOLLAR® gaming device which is manufactured and distributed by the assignee of this application, provides the player with three offers and a final award. When an offer is given, the player may accept or reject it by pushing an accept button or a reject button, respectively. If the player accepts an offer, the player receives the accepted bonus amount and the bonus round terminates. If the player declines an offer, the game generates another offer for the player. The player is automatically provided with the last selected offer if the player rejects the three previous offers. In this game, each offer can include one or more illuminated amounts. If an offer is rejected, the gaming machine terminates the illumination of such amounts and one or more amounts are illuminated to make the next offer. The previously illuminated amounts of the previous offer are not saved.
In this known offer/acceptance game, when the player rejects an offer, the player risks a current or guaranteed award for a higher value award. The game may instead provide a lower award. The game thus creates a risk for the player. Enabling a player to pick from different risk based alternatives and then enabling the player to accumulate awards or offers from the selected alternatives provides excitement and enjoyment to the player. Therefore a need exists to provide an offer/acceptance game that enables a player to weigh options and explore the consequences of selecting those options where the player may accumulate awards or offers.